Water sealed air washer



Feb. 12, 1952 D. 'r. COLLINS WATER SEALED AIR WASHER 2 SHEETS'SHEET 1 Filed July 11, 1949 INVENTOR. 94 N/EL 71" (04 L Ms ATTORNEY Feb. 12, 1952 co s 2,585,440

WATER SEALED AIR WASHER Filed July 11, 1949 2 SHEETS-SHEET 2 59 Ill INVENT\0R. 0A N/EL 7' (04 L //v A TTOPNE Y Patented Feb. 12, 1952 OFFICE 1 WATER SEALED AIR, WASHER Daniel T. Collins, Ferndale, Mich.

Application July 11, 1949, Serial No. 104,059

This invention relates to improvements in aircleaners and washers and in particular to an improved air-cleaner and washer for separating airborneimpuriti'es such as dirt, dust, ash, etc., from air inindustrial use or in geographical areas where the air is mixed with impurities.

The primary object of the invention is to provide an improved air cleaner or washer which is capable of heavy duty operation to remove all of the airborne impurities from the air regardless of the quantity of the dirt, dust, ash, etc, carrled' by the air.

An object of the invention is to provide a unitary air washer and cleaner that can be installed and set up with a minimum of on-the-job installation work at any desired place.

An object of the invention is to provide an aircleaner and washer wherein the air bearing the impurities and the washing agent, or cleaning liquid are thoroughly mixed and integrated sothat the washing liquid or cleaning agent picks up all the impurities from the air.

An object of the invention is to provide an air-cleaner and washer wherein the washed and cleaned air is effectively separated from the wash-- ing liquid and impurities.

An object of the invention is to provide an aircleaner and washer with an impurity settling tank for separating the impurities from washing liquid after the washing liquid has acquired the impurities from the air.

An object of the invention is to provide an air-' cleaner and washerwherein the washing liquid is recovered and reused.

An object of the invention is to provide an air cleaner and washer wherein the impurity burdened air passes through the washing liquid and the washing liquid passes through the impurity burdened air to completely remove the impurities from the air and to completely capture all the impurities in the washing liquid.

-An object of the invention is to provide a' mixing stack or chamber to which the impurity burdened air is tangentially delivered and the Washing liquid similarly angular-1y deflected to create a whirlpool or cyclone of air, impurities and washing liquid.

An object of the invention is to provide baiiles in the stack to effect a sinuous or tortuous path for the air, impurities, and washing liquid to follow in greater or lesser degree so that they pass through each other to effect a washing action.

An object of the invention is to provide a member occupying the central longitudinal area 1 Claim. (01. 261--111) v of the stack to prevent aii, impurities, and washing liquid from occupying the central area of the cyclone in the stack so that air; dust, and washing liquid is channeled into the more active area of the cyclone.

Other objects of the invention will become apparent by reference to the following detailed description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. l is a vertical sectional view of the air-' cleaner and washer of the invention with portions thereof shown in side elevation to better illus-- trate the invention; s

Fig. 2 is a top plan view of the invention;

Fig. 3 is an enlarged top plan view of the stack with parts broken away'to show their'construction and disposition; and

Fig. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken on the line 4-4 of Fig. 3 showing a manner of introducing the liquid into the stack.

Referring now to the drawing wherein like numerals refer to like and corresponding; parts throughout the several views, the particular embodiment of the invention disclosed for the purpose of illustration comprises a tank I!) for containing the washing liquid or cleaning agent] I, sludge separating bafiles I2 and I4, foam impeding baffles l5 and I6, air sealing bafiles' I1 and I8, air sealinghood IS; the air sealing bafiles H and I8; the air'sealing'hood I9 together with the tank |'|l enclosingand forming chamber 2|! above the liquid N in the tank II]; a cleaning liquid, air, and dust mixing stack 2| communicating with the chamber 20, baffles 22 positioned onthe internal periphery of the stack 2|, arela tively smaller stack 23 centrally disposed within the stack 2|, baifies 24 positioned on the external periphery of the stack 23 cooperating with the baffles 22, a cover 25 sealing the top of the stack 2|, a pump 25 disposed in the liquid N, a conduit 21 leading from the pump 26 to the top of the stack 2|, a distributor 28 at the top of the stack 2| connected to the conduit 21 for introducing liquid carried by the conduit 21 into the stack 2| via multiple nozzles 28, deflectors 29 for on recting the introduced liquid sidewise or tangentially of the stack 2|, a blower 30 providing suction for picking up dust and impurity bur dened air and providing pressure to deliver the dust and air, a duct 3| leading fromthe blower 30 to the top of the stack 2| and entering, the stack 2| tangentially, that is, at'the side thereof, to deliver airand impurities to the stack 2| 'a tan angle thereto, a float valve 32 for maintain ing the liquid I level in the tank I0, a conveyor 33 for removing the sludge from the tank II], a valved bleeder duct 34 for optionally s10wing the rate of introduction of air and dust to the stack 2| the internal stack 23 together with lead duct 35 optionally constituting a clean and washed air vent to atmosphere.

Referring in more detail to the invention, the tank 16 is composed of sides 50, a perpendicular end wall 5l, bottom 52 and a sloping end wall 53 with the conveyor 33 positioned on the tank adjacent the sloping end wall 53 and including drive shaft 56 connected to reduction unit 51 which is drivingly connected by V-belt 58 to pulley 53 keyed on a conveyor drive shaft 60 carrying sprocket 6| driving endless chain 62 returnably disposed in the bottom of the tank It on sprocket 63 and carrying scrapers or bucket member 64 for conveying sludge 65 lying in the bottom of the tank in sliding relation along the sloping end wall 53 to the top of the tank where the sludge 65 is dumped at the edge 66 of the tank.

Motor 10 is mounted on the hood I9 over the tank and drivingly connected to the blower 36 via the V-belt 1| to the blower 30 while motor 72 is drivingly connected to the centrifugal pump 28 by shaft 13. The service connection 14 leads from supply to the float valve 32, which in conjunction with the float T5 buoyed on the surface of the liquid N, maintains the proper level of the liquid II in the tank Ill.

The stack 2| consists of an outer stack or shel 80 and an inner stack, shell or duct 23 axially positioned within the outer shell or stack 66 with the space between the shells 80 and 23 being optionally closed by the cover or closure 25. The bafiles 22 are secured on the internal periphery of the shell 80 and extend inwardly and depend downwardly into the space between the shells 36 and 23 and are frustro-conical in configuration while the bailles 24 are mounted on the external periphery of the shell at 23 and extend outwardly and depend downwardly into the space between the shells 80 and 23 and are also frustro-conical in configuration.

The air, dust or dirt duct 3| leads into the shell 80 at the side thereof or tangentially thereto and disposed to deliver air and dirt into the space 8| internally of the shell 80 and at one side of the shell 23 with the shells 80 and 23 combining to channel the so-introduced air and dust into a downwardly spiraling and whirling helical path or cyclone for the air and dust while the baffles 22 and 24 inwardly and outwardly deflect the air and dust in its travel to cause the air and dust to follow a sinuous or tortuous path as it descends downwardly in the stack 2| into the chamber 20. The clean air duct 35 is connected to the internal shell 23 to optionally utilize the interior of the shell 23 as a duct for conveying the clean air from the chamber 2|. to atmosphere.

The liquid N in the tank in is preferably water to which a suitable wetting agent, such as Aerosol O. T. is added; any commercial type cleaning fluid can be substituted instead of water if it is found desirable or advantageous.

The water or cleaning fluid lies in the bottom of the tank I6 and is circulated by the pump 26 through the conduit 21 to the distributor nozzles 28 into the space or chamber between the outer shell or stack 2| and the inner shell or stack 23 where it comes in contact with the battles 22 and 24 which impede the downwardly spiraling path oi the water as injected into the chamber 8| causing the water or cleaning fluid to fall out- 4 wardly from the baflies 24 onto the baffles 22 and inwardly from the bames 22 onto the baffles 24 in repeated falls until the water passes the plurality of baflies of 22 and 24 in the stack after which the water and the dirt or dust which it has absorbed from the air fall together through the chamber 20 onto the liquid H of the tank i0. Due to the swirling motion and falling action of the water in the chamber 8| and the absorption of the dust therein, the water becomes partially vaporized and somewhat frothy and as the froth is borne on top of the liquid H in the tank ID, the bailies I5 and I6 prevent the flow of the froth from the area of chamber 2!! beneath the stack 2| to the area of chamber 26 adjacent the inlet to the clean air duct 35 thereby preventin any foam, suds or liquid from entering the clean air duct 35.

Due to the action of the wetting agent, the foam, suds or froth on the liquid quickly disintegrates and again due to the action of the wetting agent and the water, the previously airborne dust or dirt is wetted and falls to the bottom of the tank I0 and accumulates as sludge 65, which sludge 65 is separated from the liquid N by the sludge bafiles I2 and 14 with the foam baffles l5 and I6 working in conjunction with the sludge baflles |2 and M to provide a sinuous path for the water adjacent the top level of liquid N in the tank H! in its direction of flow towards the pump 26. After the sludge 65 has collected in the bottom of the tank, the conveyor 33 removes the sludge from the bottom of the tank and dumps it down into buckets or trucks stationed beneath the edge 55 of the tank l0.

Relative to the circulation of air and dust in the device, the blower intake is optionally equipped with single or multiple leads 86 which can be disposed in dust laden areas such as adjacent cleaning or polishing machinery or the drying chambers of chemical reactions to draw the air and the air-borne dust therefrom and introduce it to the inventive apparatus via the blower 30 and the air and impurities duct 3| which leads tangentially into chamber 8| between the outer stack or shell 63 and the inner stack or shell 23. Due to the fact that theduct 3| leads tangentially into the chamber 8| the air and dust enters into the chamber 8| at an angle and asthe chamber 8| is being sprayed or jetted with cleaning or washing liquid containing a wetting agent, the air, water and dust travel together initially in a helix or cyclone and ultimately the air-and remaining dust descends in a tortuous or sinuous path as deflected inwardly between the baffles 22 against the bafiies 24 and outwardly between baffles 24 against the baffles 22 and it will be noted that at each deflection from each battle the air and dust pass through the fall of cleaning liquid or washing agent so that the air and dust pass through the water falls and the water falls pass through the air and dust as it follows its sinuous or tortuous path.

After the air and dust have traveled throughing the clean air duct 35 which leads from the chamber 26 at a point remote from the stack 2|- and can optionally travel through the inner stack 23 as shown in full lines or via the duct 35 as shown in dotted lines of Fig. 1.

in the area of the chamber 28 prior to its enter In the event that the air is overburdened With impurities, dust or dirt, the amount of impurities, dust or dirt delivered to the chamber 8! may be reduced by the introduction of clean air from the chamber 20 via the duct 34 which is equipped with the sliding valve 96. It can be seen that the blower will readily accept the air under pressure in the chamber 20 via the duct 34 in preference to the air not under pressure in the ducts 86 thereby diminishing the delivery of air and impurities in the ducts 86 to the chamber 8!. From the foregoing detailed description, the operation of the cleaning apparatus is obvious, the improved construction being simple and inexpensive to manufacture and requiring substantially no maintenance.

Although but one embodiment of the invention has been disclosed and described in detail, it is obvious that many changes may be made in the size, shape, arrangement and detail of the various elements of the invention without departing from the spirit and scope thereof as defined by the appended claim.

I claim:

An air washer comprising a tank, a hood over said tank, an outer stack rising upwardly from said tank adjacent one end thereof communicating through said hood, sludge bafiies in said tank below the water level of said tank, foam baffles in said tank above the water level of said tank, an inner stack disposed concentrically in said outer stack communicating through said hood, means for delivering air to be washed to the space between said stacks at a. tangent thereto,

means for delivering water to the space between 6 said stacks at a tangent thereto in the same direction as the air delivery, baiiles on the inside of said outer stack, baflies on the outside of said inner stack; said stack bafiles being staggered to churn said air and water into a foam to thoroughly wet the dirt particles in the air; said foam bafiies being adapted to keep the foam in the area of said stacks between said tank and said hood; and a washed air tube leading from said inner stack to a point between said tank and hood beyond said foam bafiles for conveying the washed air to said inner stacks free of foam.

DANIEL T. COLLINS.

REFERENfiES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 283,025 Rowan Aug. 14, 1883 784,748 Meehan Mar. 14, 1905 931,229 Sepulchre Aug. 17, 1909 969,769 Brassert et a1 Apr. 13, 1910 1,007,356 Hopper Oct. 31, 1911 1,313,971 Wilson Aug. 26, 1919 1,718,988 Stewart July 2, 1929 1,793,620 Jacobus Feb. 24, 1931 2,090,994 Brandes Aug. 24, 1937 2,171,574 Lambert et a1 Sept. 5, 1939 2,195,707 Nutting Apr. 2, 1940 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 23,921 Great Britain Oct. 16, 1911 

